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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: snap · court · bowl · wax · bark · ground · nail · firm

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. firm — a company
  5. ground — the earth
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. firm — steady
  10. snap — to click
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — of law
  19. firm — decided
  20. court — of a king
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wax — for sculpting

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