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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lean — thin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — after costs
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. net — in sport
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — for catching

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