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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: leaves · band · mark · bark · content · wake · perch · kick

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. perch — the fish
  4. content — happy
  5. bark — to shout
  6. band — a music group
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mark — a trace
  12. content — the amount
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kick — in football
  23. band — a ring
  24. perch — for a bird

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