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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — final
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rock — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. tube — the underground
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rock — to move gently

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