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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
468
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 · land · pitch · mug · board · racket · lie · wax

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — ground
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mug — a cup
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pitch — completely
  11. board — to get on
  12. lie — to recline
  13. land — to come down
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. land — a country
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. 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