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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: tube · race · bat · roll · wax · drill · branch · bark

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. drill — the tool
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tube — a container
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. drill — army training
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. race — a contest
  14. roll — a list
  15. wax — to grow
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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