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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bark — to shout
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — for sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bound — tied together
  14. field — a subject
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of a king
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bound — certain
  21. staff — a stick
  22. court — of law
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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