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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rock — a stone
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. field — a subject
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stem — to come from
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — what's left
  15. field — for sport
  16. rock — music
  17. rest — a break
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. file — a tool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. file — a document

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