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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: bark · chair · mine · lie · jam · mug · spell · field

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — a subject
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. chair — a leader
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. field — for sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mug — a face
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — farmland
  18. mug — to rob
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. spell — magic

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