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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: perch · bark · wound · race · roll · bore · lean · wax

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — the arms race
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lean — thin
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — a list
  16. bark — to shout
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. race — humankind
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. roll — a cake
  22. race — a contest
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bore — to tire

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