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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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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: kid · branch · bark · wave · wax · vault · deal · trunk

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. branch — a division
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. kid — child
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wax — to grow
  18. deal — to handle
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. trunk — of a tree

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