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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. field — a subject
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kid — child
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. field — for sport
  19. face — to confront
  20. kid — to tease
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — farmland
  24. hide — to keep secret

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