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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. row — a line
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. field — farmland
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fall — the season
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. field — a subject
  22. branch — a division
  23. rush — hurry
  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