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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: bark · net · march · file · spell · mate · wake · board

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — to get on
  3. file — a document
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. file — a line of people
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — music
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. file — a tool
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. bark — to shout
  24. net — in sport

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