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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 116 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 · mark · saw · pass · coach · ground · present · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bark — to shout
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ground — a position
  19. mark — a grade
  20. present — there
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wake — a trail

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