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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: branch · bark · bat · bulb · track · charge · wax · dip

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bat — the animal
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. charge — a price
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bulb — for light
  18. dip — to sink
  19. track — to keep track
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. charge — in control
  22. branch — a division
  23. dip — to dunk
  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