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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bark — to shout
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. field — farmland
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. field — a subject
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lean — thin
  19. fall — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. scale — in music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — to bend
  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