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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. field — for sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bound — certain
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. field — farmland
  14. bear — the animal
  15. snap — to click
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. field — a subject

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