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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. net — for catching
  3. mine — for digging
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. net — in sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. net — after costs
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mine — an explosive

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