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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. foot — a measure
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — in music
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. suit — in cards
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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