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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. wake — a trail
  8. field — a subject
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. field — farmland
  13. bark — to shout
  14. court — of law
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. present — there
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. court — of a king
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. court — for sport

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