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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: firm · root · clip · wax · bark · pit · wound · saw

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pit — a hole
  4. firm — steady
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pit — in a race
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. firm — a company
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. firm — decided
  18. root — of a word
  19. wound — an injury
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. root — the cause
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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