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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 · bark · firm · prune · bay · last · track · court

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. court — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. court — of law
  13. last — to go on
  14. wax — to grow
  15. track — a path
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. last — final
  19. firm — steady
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. firm — decided
  22. last — finally
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. firm — a company

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