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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. scale — in music
  4. date — the fruit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bark — to shout
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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