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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. game — a match
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — hurry
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — help
  15. object — an aim
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. object — a thing
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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