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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bark — to shout
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. current — of water
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. wax — in the ear
  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