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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · bark · wax · hide · race · stock · capital · prune

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stock — shares
  6. court — of law
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of a king
  11. capital — money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. race — humankind
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stock — goods
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — a contest
  19. bark — to shout
  20. capital — a city
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — for sport
  24. capital — a big letter

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