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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 · court · bank · trunk · bear · key · bark · wound

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — of a king
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. field — for sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. key — for a lock
  14. court — for sport
  15. bank — of a river
  16. key — in music
  17. bank — for money
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bank — for money
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. court — of law
  23. field — a subject
  24. wound — an injury

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