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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 116 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
468
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: dip · cold · suit · craft · march · field · bark · wake

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. field — a subject
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cold — not warm
  13. march — music
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. craft — boats
  18. field — for sport
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. march — the month
  22. cold — an illness
  23. field — farmland
  24. wake — a trail

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