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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. drill — army training
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tube — a container
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. drill — the tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lie — to recline
  20. drill — a practice
  21. row — a line
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wax — in the ear

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