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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bass — low music
  11. field — a subject
  12. land — to come down
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. field — farmland
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — ground
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. land — a country
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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