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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: tube · bark · row · firm · rest · field · craft · bound

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tube — a container
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. field — a subject
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. tube — the underground
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. firm — a company
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bark — to shout
  17. field — for sport
  18. firm — decided
  19. rest — what's left
  20. firm — steady
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bound — certain
  24. rest — a break

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