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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 120 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: stick · land · pit · track · bark · chair · ground · leaves

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. ground — a position
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — to come down
  11. track — a song
  12. land — a country
  13. pit — in a race
  14. ground — crushed
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. leaves — lets stay

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