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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.

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: bark · wake · jam · march · rock · saw · racket · content

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. content — happy
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rock — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. march — music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — the amount
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rock — a stone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. march — the month

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