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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. can — a tin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. field — for sport
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — a committee
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rush — hurry
  17. can — to be able to
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. board — to get on
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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