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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.

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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 · bark · saw · wax · nail · suit · chest · coach

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. chest — of your body
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wax — to grow
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chest — a box
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. suit — in cards
  22. chest — of your body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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