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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: face · court · bulb · wax · bound · bark · pitcher · drill

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. drill — army training
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — to grow
  12. court — of a king
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — for sport
  24. face — to confront

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