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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 · bass · vault · club · wax · court · mug · arm

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mug — a face
  3. bass — the fish
  4. club — a group
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bass — low music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mug — a cup
  10. court — of a king
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — to grow
  22. vault — a safe
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bark — of a tree

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