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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. bark — to shout
  3. toast — bread
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — farmland
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wax — to grow
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. toast — the most admired
  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