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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: bark · spring · wax · ruler · branch · nail · bay · mouse

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. spring — the season
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. spring — of water
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ruler — for measuring

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