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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. hand — help
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. present — there
  9. spring — the season
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spring — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spring — a coil
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. can — a tin
  21. bark — to shout
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — a gift
  24. can — a tin

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