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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: fine · kick · cell · board · bark · ground · field · snap

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. board — to get on
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bark — to shout
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. field — farmland
  16. board — a committee
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. snap — to click
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fine — all right
  24. kick — a thrill

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