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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: field · lie · sharp · season · bark · deal · bass · object

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — an aim
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bass — low music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lie — to recline
  12. object — a thing
  13. bass — the fish
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. field — farmland
  16. bark — to shout
  17. season — of the year
  18. sharp — clever
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. field — for sport
  22. object — to protest
  23. season — in sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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