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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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Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. lean — to bend
  6. charge — electricity
  7. march — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. roll — a cake
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. charge — in control
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — farmland
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. roll — a list
  20. bark — to shout
  21. charge — a price
  22. field — for sport
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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