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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: swing · drill · pitcher · dip · bay · squash · wax · bark

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — army training
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bark — to shout
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. squash — the sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. swing — music

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