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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 · bay · wake · snap · leaves · field · mate · ground

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. ground — the earth
  3. field — a subject
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — to breed
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mate — a partner
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. field — farmland
  17. bark — to shout
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. field — for sport
  22. ground — a position
  23. snap — to click
  24. mate — a friend

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