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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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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 · charge · cue · fall · bark · hand · suit · field

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. charge — in control
  9. fall — the season
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cue — a hint
  14. field — for sport
  15. charge — electricity
  16. field — farmland
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cue — for pool
  19. suit — clothes
  20. charge — a price
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cue — a signal
  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