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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. drill — the tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bulb — for light
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. snap — to click
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. last — finally
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. drill — army training
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wax — to grow
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. last — final
  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