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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: temple · bark · wax · bass · club · chest · key · row

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bark — to shout
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. club — a group
  12. key — in music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. club — for golf
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — low music
  17. chest — a box
  18. key — for a lock
  19. row — a line
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. key — the most important part
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bark — of a tree

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