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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: hide · saw · bark · wax · bore · plane · shower · row

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bark — to shout
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bore — to drill
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. shower — rain
  20. bore — to tire
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. row — a line
  24. saw — the tool

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