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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cue — a signal
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. squash — the sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — an amount
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cue — a hint
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cue — for pool
  17. squash — to crush
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. degree — from a university
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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