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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: kid · wax · court · bound · track · bark · chair · firm

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of a king
  14. firm — decided
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. track — a path
  19. court — of law
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bound — tied together
  24. court — for sport

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