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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. tube — a container
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pop — soda
  7. tube — the underground
  8. face — to point toward
  9. field — for sport
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chest — of your body
  12. field — a subject
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fork — in a road
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pop — music
  18. chest — a box
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. face — to confront
  21. chest — of your body
  22. field — farmland
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pop — to visit

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