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

Word bank: foot · leaves · kid · wake · bark · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. 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. cue — a signal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cue — for pool
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wake — a trail
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bark — to shout
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. foot — a measure
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. 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