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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. object — an aim
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bark — to shout
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. land — a country
  7. band — a music group
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. land — to come down
  11. band — a ring
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. object — a thing
  14. face — to confront
  15. chip — to eat
  16. land — ground
  17. object — to protest
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. patient — a sick person

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