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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — a subject
  7. face — part of the head
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. face — to confront
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — to go on
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. rest — a break
  22. last — final
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. last — finally

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