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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: mug · stick · fine · lean · bark · field · wound · sharp

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lean — thin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. field — a subject
  10. fine — all right
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mug — to rob
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — a face

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