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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. perch — the fish
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. bark — to shout

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