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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bass — low music
  4. charge — in control
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stock — shares
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kid — child
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stock — goods
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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