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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 · pop · calf · wax · bowl · date · court · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wax — to grow
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pop — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. land — to come down
  16. court — of a king
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. court — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pop — soda
  22. date — the fruit
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — for sculpting

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