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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: stick · bulb · drill · spring · bark · saw · bat · wax

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bat — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. drill — the tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. drill — army training
  15. spring — of water
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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