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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: leaves · bark · staff · craft · mate · wake · content · straw

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. craft — boats
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bark — to shout
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. staff — employees
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. content — happy
  17. staff — employees
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. content — the amount
  20. wake — a trail
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. straw — dry grass

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