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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. field — a subject
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — for sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rock — music
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bank — for money
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pit — a hole
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. field — farmland

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