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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: jam · wound · court · straw · bark · stand · rush · face

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. face — part of the head
  12. court — of law
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to confront
  18. rush — hurry
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — an injury
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stand — to bear

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