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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bound — obliged
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — a subject
  10. drill — army training
  11. kid — child
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. field — for sport
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. drill — the tool
  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