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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. field — a subject
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. field — for sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bound — certain
  15. field — farmland
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace

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