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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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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: bay · present · chest · wound · wake · bark · deal · foot

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. deal — to handle
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chest — a box
  23. bark — to shout
  24. deal — an agreement

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