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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: wake · present · deal · bark · chest · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. wake — a trail
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. present — a gift
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bark — to shout
  16. deal — to handle
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wake — before a funeral

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