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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: cap · roll · rock · face · bark · field · cue · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rock — music
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rock — a stone
  10. field — a subject
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cap — a lid
  14. face — part of the head
  15. roll — a list
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. face — to confront
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cue — a hint
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cue — a signal

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