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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bark — to shout
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. toast — bread
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. cue — a hint
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. drill — a practice
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. drill — army training
  24. dip — to sink

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