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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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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: fork · press · wax · bark · bowl · rest

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fork — in a road
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rest — a break
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bowl — a dish

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