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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: wave · cold · mine · season · root · bowl · wax · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. root — the cause
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. season — of the year
  21. bark — to shout
  22. season — in sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cold — not warm

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