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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: bark · bore · mark · fan · prune · bass · bound · wax

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bore — to tire
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bass — low music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bark — of a tree

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