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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: bark · spring · squash · band · bulb · wax · march · ruler

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spring — a coil
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. squash — to crush
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spring — the season
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. march — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. band — a ring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a music group
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. band — a rubber band
  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