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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 116 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: bark · bowl · court · present · mine · wax · bay · swing

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bark — to shout
  4. present — a gift
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. swing — music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — of law
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. present — there
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. court — of a king
  19. swing — to play on
  20. court — for sport
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — the time now
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bowl — a dish

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