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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 120 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bass — the fish
  3. field — for sport
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bark — to shout
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — hurry
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ground — the earth
  17. suit — in cards
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. staff — employees
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ground — a position
  24. spring — the season

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