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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: bark · arm · row · coach · bound · date · racket · wax

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wax — to grow
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. row — a line
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — to paddle
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bound — obliged
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. date — on the calendar

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