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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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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: cell · wave · bass · face · snap · fork · bowl · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cell — a phone
  4. snap — to click
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bass — the fish
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bass — low music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. face — to confront
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wave — of the sea

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