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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: mug · trunk · rule · bark · wax · straw · spring · scale

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wax — to grow
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spring — of water
  5. bark — to shout
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. scale — in music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rule — a law
  12. mug — a cup
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mug — a face
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mug — to rob
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. trunk — of a car

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