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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: field · tear · bass · firm · key · rest · bark · bowl

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. key — the most important part
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rest — a break
  10. firm — steady
  11. bass — low music
  12. firm — decided
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — from crying
  18. key — in music
  19. firm — a company
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bark — to shout

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