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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — to shout
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — for sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. field — a subject
  12. spring — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. field — farmland
  21. firm — decided
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spring — the season

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