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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 120 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: foot · bark · root · tube · wax · bear · perch · wound

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bear — the animal
  9. root — the cause
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. root — of a word
  18. foot — a measure
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bark — to shout

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