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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. branch — a division
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. root — of a word
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. root — the cause
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rock — to move gently

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