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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · wake · board · track · bat · kid · present · bear

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. board — to get on
  3. wake — a trail
  4. present — there
  5. kid — to tease
  6. present — a gift
  7. track — a path
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bat — the animal
  10. present — the time now
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. board — a committee
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kid — child
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bear — the animal

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