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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: bark · wound · wake · leaves · spell · net · chip · pass

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — for catching
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — in sport
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spell — letters
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. net — after costs
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wake — a trail

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