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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: craft · can · lean · saw · wax · pound · bark · court

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. can — a tin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. court — of a king
  6. can — to be able to
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — a weight
  13. lean — thin
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. can — a tin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. craft — boats
  24. wax — in the ear

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