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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: field · lash · bark · bore · sharp · cell · stick · bass

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bark — to shout
  4. field — farmland
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bass — low music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. field — a subject
  19. bore — to drill
  20. field — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the fish
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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