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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 120 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: ball · stand · bark · bulb · game · sharp · wax · chip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stand — to bear
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ball — a great time
  9. game — a match
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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