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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: snap · bark · bound · wake · coach · pitcher · board · last

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bound — tied together
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. last — final
  10. bound — obliged
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. board — a committee
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. last — finally
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — certain

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