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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: suit · field · bark · spring · bass · present · last · lean

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. present — a gift
  4. bass — low music
  5. present — there
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. field — farmland
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spring — of water
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. suit — clothes
  15. last — finally
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. spring — the season
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. last — final
  22. bark — to shout
  23. present — the time now
  24. field — a subject

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