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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.

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: bear · racket · bark · ball · wake · capital · craft · game

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. craft — a skill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wake — a trail
  16. capital — a city
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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