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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. face — to point toward
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. deal — to handle
  7. field — a subject
  8. row — to paddle
  9. face — part of the head
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. face — to confront
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — to shout
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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