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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. drill — army training
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. key — in music
  12. row — a line
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. drill — a practice
  17. key — for a lock
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — the tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. patient — a sick person

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