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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: court · mug · wax · sharp · saw · stick · bark · kick

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mug — to rob
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — a face
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. court — for sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mug — a cup
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — to shout

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