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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: spell · bark · scale · bowl · content · chip · rush · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. spell — magic
  9. scale — in music
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spell — letters
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. content — happy
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bowl — to roll

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