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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: mine · wax · fan · bark · bore · racket · content · rock

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — for digging
  11. content — happy
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rock — music
  24. mine — belonging to me

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