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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — to breed
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mate — a friend
  11. band — a music group
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chair — a leader
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the sport
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. band — a ring
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — to sit on

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