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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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · bore · wax · bark · mouse · deal · stem · game

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. game — a match
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. deal — to handle
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — wild animals

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