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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hand — help
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — a subject
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. suit — clothes
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bark — to shout
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fork — in a road
  18. field — farmland
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. suit — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. field — for sport

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