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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. drill — a practice
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. degree — an amount
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — army training
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. drill — the tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fine — all right
  24. hand — help

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