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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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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: march · hand · wake · object · rest · racket

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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. racket — for tennis
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rest — what's left
  6. march — the month
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — in cards
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. hand — help
  17. march — music
  18. object — to protest

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