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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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