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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
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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: bark · land · season · nail · pop · ball · board · wax

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. season — in sport
  3. land — to come down
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. land — ground
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. season — of the year
  15. bark — to shout
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. board — a committee
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — a country
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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