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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wax — to grow
  14. land — a country
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. drill — army training
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. land — to come down
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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