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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bank — for money
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. field — farmland
  13. bark — to shout
  14. field — for sport
  15. bank — of a river
  16. game — wild animals
  17. field — a subject
  18. deal — to handle
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mate — a friend
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bank — for money

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