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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: bark · club · wax · leaves · bat · key · board · rule

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. board — a committee
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. board — to get on
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rule — a law
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rule — government
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wax — to grow
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bark — to shout

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