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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ball — a dance
  4. kid — to tease
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bear — the animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — to shout
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ball — a great time
  20. drill — army training
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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