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

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — help
  7. prune — to trim
  8. toast — bread
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. bound — certain
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. field — for sport
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. clip — for paper

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