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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 120 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: sharp · chest · bark · wake · land · mug · stem · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. land — ground
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mug — a cup
  12. chest — of your body
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. land — a country
  17. stem — to come from
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chest — a box
  20. wake — a trail
  21. land — to come down
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wake — before a funeral

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