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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.

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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: bark · coach · net · mine · nail · wax · bowl · foot

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wax — to grow
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. net — after costs
  15. bark — to shout
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mine — for digging
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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