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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. march — the month
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. march — the month
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. file — a document
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. drill — army training
  15. file — a tool
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. file — a line of people
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bear — the animal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. plane — in geometry

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