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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: wake · key · wave · stick · bark · bear · ground · game

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. key — in music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — a position
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — a match
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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