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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitch — completely
  22. tear — to rip
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — to dunk

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