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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. net — for catching
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — in sport
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — to grow
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rock — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — to move gently
  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