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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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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. present — there
  4. spring — the season
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. spring — of water
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bark — to shout
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — army training
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. drill — a practice
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spring — a coil
  21. present — a gift
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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