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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: dip · field · leaves · spring · squash · staff · pound · bark

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spring — the season
  3. field — a subject
  4. spring — of water
  5. squash — to crush
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. spring — a coil
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bark — to shout
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pound — a weight
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. field — for sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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