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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bank — for money
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. kid — to tease
  7. field — farmland
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. branch — a division
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bank — of a river
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — a break
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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