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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. firm — steady
  5. bark — to shout
  6. file — a document
  7. can — to be able to
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. firm — a company
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. deal — to handle
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. firm — decided
  18. can — a tin
  19. file — a tool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. swing — music
  23. file — a line of people
  24. swing — in golf

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