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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · field · present · lean · bore · bark · degree · hide

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. degree — an amount
  4. key — in music
  5. field — farmland
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. field — for sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. field — a subject
  13. present — a gift
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. present — the time now
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bark — to shout
  24. present — there

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