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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: chip · rock · bark · foot · wax · snap · calf · racket

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. snap — to click
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chip — to eat
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rock — music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rock — a stone
  23. calf — of the leg
  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