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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.

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: roll · bark · mark · press · net · content · race · wax

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. roll — a list
  4. bark — to shout
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. content — the amount
  11. press — to push
  12. net — in sport
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — after costs
  16. press — a publisher
  17. content — happy
  18. net — for catching
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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