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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rock — a stone
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rock — music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tube — the underground
  24. plane — a tool

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