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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.

Make a worksheet

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: field · leaves · bark · club · court · lie · date · straw

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lie — to recline
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. club — for golf
  8. court — of law
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. court — of a king
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. field — for sport
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. date — the fruit

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