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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: bulb · plane · wake · content · bark · board · bat · mate

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. board — to get on
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bulb — for light
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bark — to shout
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. content — the amount
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. content — happy
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bulb — for light

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