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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spell — letters
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spell — magic
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. track — to keep track
  16. sharp — clever
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. track — a path
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kid — to tease
  24. track — a song

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