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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mouse · game · press · bark · mate · craft · field · cold

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. game — wild animals
  3. field — a subject
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. press — to push
  7. field — farmland
  8. game — a match
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. field — for sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mate — to breed
  19. craft — a skill
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. craft — boats
  22. cold — an illness
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mouse — the animal

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