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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bark — to shout
  5. band — a music group
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. track — a path
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a ring
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. key — the most important part
  14. track — a song
  15. court — of law
  16. track — to keep track
  17. key — for a lock
  18. craft — boats
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. kick — in football
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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