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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: mark · bark · fall · wake · mug · craft · bound · bat

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mug — a face
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fall — the season
  11. mark — a grade
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — certain
  16. wake — a trail
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. craft — boats
  24. bound — obliged

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