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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pop — music
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pop — soda
  12. track — a path
  13. fine — all right
  14. pop — to visit
  15. field — farmland
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. field — for sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. field — a subject
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ruler — for measuring

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