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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: fan · drill · bark · pop · lie · wax · patient · season

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. season — of the year
  5. drill — army training
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. drill — the tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lie — to recline
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — soda
  18. bark — to shout
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — to visit

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