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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 120 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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chest — a box
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — the season
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. object — an aim
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. field — farmland
  11. scale — in music
  12. spring — of water
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. object — to protest
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. field — for sport
  19. bat — the animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. field — a subject
  22. object — a thing
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bark — to shout

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