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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bulb — for light
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wax — to grow

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