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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tube — a container
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — to shout
  13. field — farmland
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. firm — steady
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. dip — to dunk

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