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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bark — to shout
  13. plane — a tool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. net — after costs
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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