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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.

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: ruler · bark · tube · field · foot · spell · arm · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. net — after costs
  4. spell — letters
  5. field — for sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. net — for catching
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. spell — a short time
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bark — of a tree

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