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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mug — a cup
  4. game — a match
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. branch — a division
  8. lean — thin
  9. object — to protest
  10. field — for sport
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mug — a face
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bulb — for light
  20. object — a thing
  21. field — farmland
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. object — an aim
  24. bark — to shout

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