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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: cabinet · date · snap · bat · dip · wake · present · bark

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. present — the time now
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. present — a gift
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wake — a trail
  7. snap — to click
  8. dip — to sink
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — there

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