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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · file · bass · bark · racket · wave · last · rest

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bass — the fish
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. file — a document
  9. rest — what's left
  10. last — to go on
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. date — the fruit
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rest — what's left
  20. last — final
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. rest — a break
  23. last — finally
  24. bass — low music

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