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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: pop · plane · wake · cap · bark · spell · sharp · nail

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spell — letters
  3. cap — a lid
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — soda
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pop — to visit
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. plane — a tool
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pop — music

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