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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · drill · mouse · pop · bass · scale · straw · wax

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bass — low music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pop — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. drill — army training
  17. pop — soda
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bark — to shout
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. straw — a straw man

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