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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 · stem · march · firm · wax · row · rush · bear

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. firm — decided
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. march — the month
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. row — a line
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. firm — a company
  21. march — music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. firm — steady

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