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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. field — farmland
  6. pit — a hole
  7. row — a line
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. board — a committee
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. board — to get on
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bark — of a tree
  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