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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bank — for money
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bank — for money
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bank — of a river
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — a law
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rule — government
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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