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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — in sport
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — for catching
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stock — goods
  11. craft — boats
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — after costs
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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