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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: pit · bark · wax · net · bowl · spell · object · staff

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pit — a hole
  5. staff — employees
  6. bark — to shout
  7. net — for catching
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pit — in a race
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. object — an aim
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — to protest
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spell — letters
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. net — after costs
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  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