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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bark — to shout
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bank — of a river
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. content — happy
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. ball — a dance
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bank — for money
  20. ball — a great time
  21. content — the amount
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bank — for money
  24. plane — a tool

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