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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bark — to shout
  6. club — for dancing
  7. swing — in golf
  8. club — for golf
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. land — to come down
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. swing — music
  20. club — a group
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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