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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 116 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: bark · rash · firm · board · clip · mouse · fine · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fine — all right
  3. board — a committee
  4. bark — to shout
  5. field — farmland
  6. firm — decided
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. firm — steady
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. board — to get on
  14. rash — a series
  15. firm — a company
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. field — a subject
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fine — high quality

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