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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. craft — boats
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. field — for sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. foot — a measure
  18. fork — in a road
  19. field — a subject
  20. bark — to shout
  21. field — farmland
  22. craft — a skill
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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