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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 · last · pop · cabinet · stand · row · squash · bark

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pop — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — to go on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. row — a line
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. last — finally
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stand — to bear
  16. last — final
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pop — soda
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stand — on your feet

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