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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.

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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 · cap · straw · bay · bank · cell · wake · mate

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bank — for money
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bank — for money
  20. bark — to shout
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cell — in biology

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