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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. drill — army training
  5. wax — to grow
  6. net — in sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. vault — a safe
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wake — a trail
  15. drill — a practice
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bark — to shout
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. net — after costs

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