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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: fine · degree · bark · jam · current · mark · wax · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bark — to shout
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mark — a trace
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fine — all right
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. current — of water
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. current — happening now
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fine — high quality
  22. current — electric
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mark — a grade

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