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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ground — a position
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. track — a path
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. track — a song
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bulb — for light

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