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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: bark · chip · shower · dip · wax · club · date · sharp

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chip — for betting
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. club — a group
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chip — to eat
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. club — for dancing
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. club — for golf
  17. shower — rain
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — to shout
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wax — to grow

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