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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mark — a grade
  5. deal — to handle
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — to shout
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mark — a trace
  15. degree — temperature
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bark — of a tree

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