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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: prune · safe · wax · bark · deal · march · present · drill

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. march — music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bark — to shout
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. present — the time now
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. present — there
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. deal — to handle
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. drill — army training
  21. present — a gift
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — a practice

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