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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 · board · bark · wave · mate · content · cold · safe

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. board — a committee
  4. content — happy
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cold — an illness
  12. content — the amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. board — to get on
  23. mate — a partner
  24. content — videos and posts

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