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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
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: craft · ball · clip · bark · wax · pound · lash · ground

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ground — a position
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. craft — boats
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. ground — crushed
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bark — to shout
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. ball — a dance
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bark — of a tree

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