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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 · mouse · field · saw · wound · lean · craft · bark

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wake — a trail
  8. field — farmland
  9. lean — thin
  10. field — for sport
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. field — a subject
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. craft — boats

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