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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. clip — to cut
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bark — to shout
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — a video
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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