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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: bay · rash · bark · capital · wax · fork · saw · ball

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — hasty
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rash — a series
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. capital — a city
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bark — to shout
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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