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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · content · squash · mine · bear · bark · wax · pitcher

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. content — the amount
  7. bark — to shout
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mark — a trace
  15. content — happy
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. squash — to crush
  24. content — videos and posts

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