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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: stick · mine · content · wound · mug · field · bark · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. field — farmland
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. field — a subject
  9. mug — to rob
  10. field — for sport
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mug — a face
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. suit — clothes

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