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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: spell · game · content · bark · rest · wax · stock · calf

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. spell — letters
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — magic
  7. rest — a break
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stock — goods
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — to shout
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. game — a match
  20. content — happy
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stock — shares
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. content — the amount

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