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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: rock · spring · nail · mug · shower · deal · bark · wax

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spring — of water
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wax — to grow
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — to rob
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. shower — rain
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rock — music
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bark — to shout
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mug — a face

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