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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. staff — employees
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bark — to shout
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — not warm

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