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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: can · wake · jam · bark · kid · lie · board · net

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. kid — child
  4. can — to be able to
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. lie — to recline
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. board — a committee
  10. bark — to shout
  11. net — in sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. net — for catching
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. board — to get on
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. can — a tin
  24. net — after costs

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