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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. land — to come down
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — a country
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. land — ground
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fork — in a road
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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