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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: drill · staff · wax · roll · cap · bark · court · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of law
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wax — to grow
  10. drill — a practice
  11. court — for sport
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cap — a hat
  15. drill — army training
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. roll — a list
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. court — of a king
  24. staff — a stick

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