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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bark — to shout
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. firm — decided
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cap — a lid
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mug — a face
  17. game — a match
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mug — to rob
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — a hat

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