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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · bark · staff · row · temple · scale · mug · tear

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mug — a cup
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. row — a line
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — in music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. tear — from crying
  19. scale — size or range
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bark — to shout
  24. staff — employees

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