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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: firm · perch · field · season · bark · pit · temple · fork

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — for sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fork — in a road
  7. firm — a company
  8. bark — to shout
  9. season — of the year
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — in sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pit — in a race
  24. season — to add flavour

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