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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: field · craft · squash · cue · bark · deal · board · bear

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. bear — the animal
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cue — a signal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bark — to shout
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. board — a committee
  19. field — for sport
  20. craft — boats
  21. board — to get on
  22. squash — the sport
  23. field — farmland
  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