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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.

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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: mug · sharp · arm · field · key · cue · wound · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. field — farmland
  4. bark — to shout
  5. field — for sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. mug — a face
  14. cue — a hint
  15. key — in music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — a cup
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — the most important part
  24. sharp — clever

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