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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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 — a dog's sound
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. track — to keep track
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. track — a song
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mark — a grade
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mark — a trace
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. squash — the sport
  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