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

Word bank: cell · field · present · object · rest · squash · pass · bark

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — for sport
  3. cell — a phone
  4. present — the time now
  5. field — a subject
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. field — farmland
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pass — a permit
  15. present — a gift
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. object — to protest
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rest — what's left
  21. object — an aim
  22. bark — to shout
  23. object — a thing
  24. squash — to crush

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