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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fine — all right
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bear — the animal

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