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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
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: land · race · row · stock · vault · wax · ball · bark

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. land — to come down
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stock — shares
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. row — to paddle
  11. race — the arms race
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a line
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ball — a dance
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — a country
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bark — to shout
  23. race — humankind
  24. ball — a great time

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