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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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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: cue · deal · dip · race · saw · bark · field · wake

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. field — for sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cue — a signal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — a subject
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. field — farmland
  12. race — a contest
  13. deal — to handle
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. dip — a sauce

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