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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: fine · last · bore · fall · field · degree · leaves · bark

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. field — farmland
  4. last — to go on
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fine — all right
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — final
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. last — finally
  16. field — for sport
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — an amount
  21. field — a subject
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fall — the season

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