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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 116 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: season · bark · object · lash · bear · track · wax · pitcher

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. object — a thing
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. object — an aim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. object — to protest
  24. season — in sport

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