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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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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: cell · field · pass · mark · prune · bark · net · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. net — in sport
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. field — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. net — for catching
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. prune — to trim
  16. net — after costs
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. field — a subject

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