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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. field — a subject
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. branch — a division
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ball — a dance
  10. field — farmland
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. field — for sport
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ball — a round shape

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