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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hand — in cards
  3. perch — the fish
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — help
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ground — a position
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. craft — boats
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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