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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 120 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 · wake · file · wave · present · stick · plane · fan

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. present — the time now
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. present — a gift
  7. file — a tool
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. file — a line of people
  10. plane — a tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. present — there
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a document
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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