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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: mark · face · wake · date · game · object · file · bear

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bear — the animal
  3. object — to protest
  4. file — a line of people
  5. game — a match
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. face — to confront
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. date — the fruit
  19. object — a thing
  20. wake — a trail
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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