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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.

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: rash · field · land · vault · leaves · pitcher · bark · toast

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. field — farmland
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. field — for sport
  14. toast — bread
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. land — to come down
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — a country
  20. bark — to shout
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rash — a series

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