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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. field — a subject
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — a country
  7. staff — employees
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. field — for sport
  19. land — to come down
  20. staff — employees
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bark — to shout
  24. land — ground

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