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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.

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: kid · bark · file · deal · spell · stand · fan · field

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. file — a document
  6. bark — to shout
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. file — a line of people
  9. kid — child
  10. field — a subject
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. file — a tool
  15. stand — to bear
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spell — letters
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spell — magic
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — a short time

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