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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: clip · mark · bark · arm · toast · spring · wax · stick

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spring — the season
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mark — a trace
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. clip — for paper
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. spring — of water
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — a video
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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