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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 116 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: wax · field · drill · bulb · cell · nail · bark · snap

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bark — to shout
  3. field — a subject
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. drill — a practice
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cell — a phone
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — to grow
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cell — in biology
  21. drill — army training
  22. field — farmland
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wax — in the ear

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