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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — the earth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a cake
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spring — of water
  10. ground — crushed
  11. roll — a list
  12. spring — the season
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. field — for sport
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ground — a position
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. field — farmland
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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