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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mate — a partner
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. field — for sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stand — to bear
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. field — farmland
  18. mate — a friend
  19. field — a subject
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mate — to breed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stand — for spectators

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