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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: wax · fork · kid · key · game · bark · lash · cap

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. game — a match
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. key — for a lock
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cap — of ice
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. key — in music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wax — to grow
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cap — a lid

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