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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
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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: field · bowl · ground · wax · racket · bay · bark · pass

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bark — to shout
  20. field — for sport
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ground — a position

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