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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. firm — steady
  3. band — a music group
  4. root — the cause
  5. bark — to shout
  6. firm — decided
  7. root — of a plant
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. root — of a word
  12. firm — a company
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. season — in sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. season — of the year
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wax — to grow

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