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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pitch — completely
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. staff — employees
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bark — to shout
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bat — the animal
  24. dip — to sink

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