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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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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: lash · stick · chair · bark · swing · degree · wax · drill

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. drill — army training
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. degree — from a university
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wax — to grow
  13. swing — music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bark — to shout
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wax — in the ear

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