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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
468
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 · key · prune · racket · bark · bulb · mine · bore

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — to grow
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. key — in music

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