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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. present — the time now
  7. bark — to shout
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stand — to bear
  11. face — to confront
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. present — a gift
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — there
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — calm and waiting

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