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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. track — to keep track
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. track — a song
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pop — soda
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. track — a path
  24. calf — a young animal

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