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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: bound · last · field · rash · saw · jam · bark · cue

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. last — final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — finally
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rash — a series
  11. field — for sport
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — to go on
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cue — a hint
  18. field — farmland
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bound — certain
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — a subject
  24. jam — in traffic

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