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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 · mate · wax · bore · lash · pass · net · court

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bark — to shout
  12. court — of a king
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. court — for sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. mate — a friend

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