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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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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: rest · wake · lean · bay · content · bark · net · dip

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — after costs
  8. content — the amount
  9. net — for catching
  10. lean — to bend
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. net — in sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rest — a break
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lean — thin
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rest — what's left

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