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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. court — for sport
  3. craft — boats
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bark — to shout
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. track — to keep track
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. track — a path
  14. court — of law
  15. face — part of the head
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. face — to point toward
  20. track — a song
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. face — to confront

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