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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lean — to bend
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. field — farmland
  13. lean — thin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — for sport
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. field — a subject

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