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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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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: ruler · last · object · field · foot · bear · bark · lash

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. field — farmland
  3. last — final
  4. bark — to shout
  5. foot — a measure
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. last — to go on
  8. object — a thing
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. object — to protest
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. field — for sport
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. object — an aim
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — a subject
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ruler — for measuring

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