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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mine — for digging
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. season — of the year
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bank — for money
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — in sport

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