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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 116 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. field — for sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. staff — employees
  9. mug — a face
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — an injury
  12. swing — in golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — a subject
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. swing — music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pound — a weight
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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