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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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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: field · racket · fork · press · tube · craft · bark · last

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. press — to push
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. last — final
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. press — newspapers
  14. tube — the underground
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. craft — boats
  18. press — a publisher
  19. last — to go on
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. last — finally

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