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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chest — a box
  16. board — to get on
  17. roll — a list
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. roll — a cake

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