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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. can — a tin
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. can — a tin
  6. mug — to rob
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — a face
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — there
  11. file — a tool
  12. bark — to shout
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mug — a cup
  16. present — the time now
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. can — to be able to
  19. craft — boats
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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