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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · cell · calf · bound · wax · rule · bark · deal

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rule — government
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cell — in biology
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — a law
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com