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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — a subject
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cap — of ice
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — for sport
  10. kid — child
  11. field — farmland
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  24. staff — a stick

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