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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. present — a gift
  3. cold — an illness
  4. board — to get on
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. present — there
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — the time now

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