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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 116 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 · wax · rash · net · trunk · pound · bulb · bark

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. net — for catching
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. drill — army training
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. net — after costs
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bulb — of a plant

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