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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: season · wax · vault · bark · capital · rash · pop · cabinet

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — a series
  8. capital — money
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pop — soda
  13. season — in sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — a city
  19. wax — to grow
  20. vault — a safe
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. capital — a big letter

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