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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. court — of law
  6. land — ground
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. court — of a king
  12. bear — the animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. bark — to shout
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. court — for sport
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. land — a country
  21. swing — to play on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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