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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: wake · cap · present · mouse · track · spring · leaves · craft

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spring — the season
  7. present — the time now
  8. track — a song
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. present — a gift
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spring — of water
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. track — a path
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cap — a lid
  19. craft — boats
  20. present — there
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cap — a hat
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. wake — a trail

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