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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: rest · ground · bark · shower · wound · drill · fork · wax

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wound — an injury
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. shower — to wash
  24. drill — army training

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