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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: bark · wake · mark · race · wax · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. race — a contest
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. race — humankind
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bark — of a tree

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