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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.

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: wax · prune · bark · bulb · bowl · content · drill · lash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — the tool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bulb — for light
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bark — to shout
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. drill — army training
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. content — the amount
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — happy
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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