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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: chip · kick · bark · club · wax · fork

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kick — in football
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — to grow

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