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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · capital · fork · bark · season · bore · lash · ball

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wax — to grow
  5. season — of the year
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. season — in sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. capital — a city
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a dance
  22. capital — money
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fork — in a road

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