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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 · bulb · present · fine · saw · wax · dip · roll

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wax — to grow
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bulb — for light
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. present — there
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. roll — a list
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. present — the time now
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bulb — for light
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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