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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 · wax · net · lie · trunk · chip · bore · kid

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — to drill
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. chip — for betting
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bore — to tire
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. net — for catching
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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