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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. field — for sport
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. field — a subject
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — to shout
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — farmland
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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