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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: sharp · dip · bark · spring · pitcher · wax · charge · cell

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — of water
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. charge — in control
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spring — the season
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — to grow
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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