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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
468
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 · chip · net · pitcher · craft · wax · club · march

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. net — after costs
  8. craft — boats
  9. net — for catching
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. net — in sport
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. march — music
  22. chip — for betting
  23. club — a group
  24. march — the month

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