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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: bark · cue · trunk · wax · hand · suit · rash · wound

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rash — a series
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. suit — to fit
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. hand — in cards
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hand — help
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wax — to grow

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