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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 120 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: wax · cold · bark · mouse · rush · ball · object · club

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. object — to protest
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wax — to grow
  8. club — a group
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. object — an aim
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. object — a thing
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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