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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. file — a tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. file — a document
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. firm — steady
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. firm — a company
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. spell — letters
  17. firm — decided
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spring — of water
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ball — a great time

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