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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.

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: firm · fork · bark · court · lean · plane · wax · capital

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. firm — a company
  4. wax — to grow
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. capital — money
  14. court — of law
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. capital — a city
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. court — for sport
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. plane — a tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fork — in a road

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