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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: ball · ruler · season · content · wax · rest · bark · chip

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chip — to eat
  6. season — in sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — of the year
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. content — happy
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rest — a break
  23. content — the amount
  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