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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: cap · bark · wake · bulb · kick · rock · craft · toast

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — to shout
  4. toast — bread
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cap — of ice
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. craft — boats
  11. cap — a hat
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rock — a stone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rock — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kick — in football
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bulb — of a plant

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