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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
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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: staff · arm · bark · pop · field · ball · season · cell

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — soda
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. field — for sport
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. season — of the year
  8. pop — music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pop — to visit
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. bark — to shout
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — in sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ball — a great time
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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