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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 116 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: bear · spell · wake · wax · cell · bark · bound · stock

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stock — goods
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — shares
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. spell — magic
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spell — letters

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