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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 · pop · spell · face · land · pitch · wake · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. land — to come down
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. face — to confront
  6. spell — letters
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. pitch — completely
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pop — soda
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. spell — magic
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pop — music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — a short time

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