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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. game — a match
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rock — music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wound — an injury
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — temperature

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