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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — a country
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tube — a container
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. land — ground
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. land — to come down
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tube — in a tire

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