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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 120 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: bark · spring · chair · wave · content · rest · sharp · mark

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mark — a grade
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spring — the season
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spring — a coil
  9. content — the amount
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chair — a leader
  18. content — happy
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. sharp — clever

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