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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: bat · rash · chest · wax · bowl · fork · bark · rock

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chest — a box
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — a series
  24. bowl — a dish

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