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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: mug · ground · chair · suit · bark · mark · stem · wake

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mug — to rob
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mark — a trace
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mug — a face
  24. ground — the earth

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