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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: bowl · bark · land · board · pass · object · wax · cold

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. object — an aim
  4. bark — to shout
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. object — a thing
  9. wax — to grow
  10. land — ground
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. board — a committee
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. object — to protest
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pass — a permit
  24. board — to get on

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