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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · field · file · leaves · snap · bark · fine · pop

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. field — for sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. field — farmland
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. file — a tool
  12. pop — music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. pop — soda
  16. field — a subject
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fine — all right

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