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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. roll — a list
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. swing — to play on
  9. band — a ring
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rash — a series
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rash — hasty
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. roll — a cake
  19. swing — music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. band — a music group

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