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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. kick — in football
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. field — a subject
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. field — farmland
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cell — a phone
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rash — hasty
  24. calf — a young animal

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