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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · perch · rash · bark · mouse · spell · wake · content

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. content — happy
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — the cause
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bark — to shout
  16. spell — magic
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. content — the amount
  22. root — of a word
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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