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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. object — to protest
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fork — in a road
  5. object — an aim
  6. bark — to shout
  7. field — farmland
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — of a king
  10. field — a subject
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. court — for sport
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tube — a container
  19. court — of law
  20. chair — a leader
  21. object — a thing
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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