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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — final
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bank — of a river
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bank — for money
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cue — a signal
  19. last — finally
  20. bark — to shout
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. last — to go on
  24. bank — for money

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