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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wax — to grow
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ball — a great time
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. drill — the tool

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