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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — for sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. fork — in a road
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — to sink
  9. field — farmland
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. field — a subject
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. dip — to dunk

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