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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 116 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: coach · lie · wax · bark · rock · stock · bowl · bore

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rock — music
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stock — goods
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bore — to drill
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bore — to tire
  23. stock — shares
  24. wax — for sculpting

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