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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bank — for money
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — to shout
  11. scale — in music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bank — for money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. band — a music group
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bank — of a river
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. drill — a practice
  24. band — a ring

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