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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 124 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitch — completely
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bark — to shout
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. prune — to trim
  23. roll — a list
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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