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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. row — a line
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rash — hasty
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. face — to confront
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — a position
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — the earth

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