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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: net · object · pitcher · bark · wax · court · club · trunk

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. club — for dancing
  3. net — after costs
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — to grow
  7. club — a group
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. court — for sport
  11. object — a thing
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — for catching
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — to protest
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. club — for golf
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. bark — to shout
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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