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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: mouse · mug · bark · land · wind · lean · wake · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wake — a trail
  8. land — to come down
  9. lean — thin
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. land — ground
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — a country
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. lean — to bend

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