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

Word bank: bark · fork · field · safe · stem · kid · stand · kick

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. fork — in a road
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stand — to bear

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