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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.

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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: bear · craft · land · field · rock · bark · content · pitcher

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. field — a subject
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. craft — a skill
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. content — the amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rock — music
  15. content — happy
  16. field — for sport
  17. craft — boats
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. land — a country
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. field — farmland

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