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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fine — all right
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. fall — the season
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fall — to drop
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stem — to come from
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — to drill

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