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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. can — a tin
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. degree — temperature
  7. craft — boats
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rock — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bark — to shout
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. degree — from a university
  16. can — a tin
  17. rock — a stone
  18. craft — a skill
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wake — a trail
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. can — to be able to

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