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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stock — shares
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a ring
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stock — goods
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — in music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. scale — size or range

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