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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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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: kick · bark · wake · net · ruler · wax · wind · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wind — moving air
  6. net — for catching
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. net — after costs
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wind — moving air

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