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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: drill · bark · mark · arm · scale · wax · spell · capital

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. drill — a practice
  5. scale — in music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — money
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — a city
  13. spell — letters
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spell — magic
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mark — a grade
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. mark — a trace
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wax — for sculpting

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