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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. charge — in control
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. charge — a price
  14. fine — all right
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pound — a weight
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — to hit hard

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