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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mate — a partner
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. sharp — clever
  6. game — wild animals
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. field — farmland
  13. lean — thin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. game — a match
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lean — to bend
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mate — a friend
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mate — to breed
  24. field — a subject

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