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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.

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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: sharp · wax · squash · net · band · bulb · bark · mug

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. net — after costs
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mug — a face
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bark — to shout
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. net — in sport

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