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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. track — a song
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. band — a ring
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a music group
  13. bank — for money
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bank — for money
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bark — to shout
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. branch — a division
  23. drill — army training
  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