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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. field — for sport
  3. board — a committee
  4. key — in music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — for golf
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. key — for a lock
  9. club — a group
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. field — a subject
  13. chair — a leader
  14. club — for dancing
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. board — to get on
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bark — to shout
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — the most important part
  23. field — farmland
  24. wake — before a funeral

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