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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — a subject
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rest — a break
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. lean — thin
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. field — farmland

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