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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. object — to protest
  3. wax — to grow
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. object — a thing
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. object — an aim
  14. degree — an amount
  15. root — of a word
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bark — to shout
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wind — moving air

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