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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: saw · bark · jam · ground · wax · dip · scale · arm

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ground — a position
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ground — crushed
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. dip — to sink
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ground — the earth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — in traffic

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