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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · stick · wax · jam · wind · dip · stem · ruler

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wax — to grow

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