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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. bound — certain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bound — tied together
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. row — a line
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fine — all right
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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