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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. craft — boats
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. band — a ring
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bark — to shout
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. board — to get on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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