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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: present · mark · chair · bark · field · ball · wax · wound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mark — a trace
  6. present — the time now
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — a subject
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. field — farmland
  14. present — there
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — for sport
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mark — a grade

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