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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. drill — army training
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. march — music
  7. degree — an amount
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. drill — a practice
  13. march — the month
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wax — to grow
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fine — all right
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bark — to shout
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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