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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · mark · shower · lie · safe · bark · wax · wind

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. lie — to recline
  18. shower — rain
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — to wash

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