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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: bear · trunk · present · field · bark · fork · squash · leaves

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. present — there
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. squash — to crush
  9. present — a gift
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. field — a subject
  12. bear — the animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bark — to shout
  16. squash — the sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. field — for sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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