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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kid — child
  20. wind — moving air
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. branch — a division

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