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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bank — for money
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — to shout
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ball — a round shape

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