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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: wax · craft · ball · bark · row · saw · fine · mine

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. craft — boats
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. craft — a skill
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fine — all right

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