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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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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mate — a friend
  5. club — for dancing
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. club — for golf
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mate — to breed
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chair — a leader
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — thin
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wake — a trail

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