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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. field — farmland
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — for sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mug — a face
  9. chip — to eat
  10. file — a tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. field — a subject
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rock — music
  18. file — a document
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bark — to shout
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rock — a stone
  24. spring — a coil

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