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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cell — in biology
  9. present — the time now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — a group
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. present — there
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. club — for dancing
  18. present — a gift
  19. club — for golf
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — of a tree
  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