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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 · mouse · bulb · calf · wax · pop · branch · degree

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wax — to grow
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. branch — a division
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. degree — temperature
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. degree — an amount

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