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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. field — a subject
  5. prune — to trim
  6. firm — decided
  7. bank — for money
  8. net — in sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. bank — of a river
  18. file — a document
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bank — for money
  21. field — for sport
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. prune — to trim

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