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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: wax · ground · arm · rock · cue · bark · hand · chip

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — in cards
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cue — a hint
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bark — to shout
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cue — for pool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ground — a position
  15. cue — a signal
  16. hand — help
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rock — music

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