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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: wave · mark · leaves · bark · hand · clip · deal · mug

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — help
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mug — a face
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. clip — for paper
  10. deal — to handle
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. clip — a video
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. clip — to cut
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bark — to shout
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wave — with your hand

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