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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 120 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: wax · foot · bowl · cue · bark · sharp · face · staff

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — employees
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wax — to grow
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. face — to confront
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. staff — employees
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cue — a hint
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cue — for pool
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. face — part of the head

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