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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. board — to get on
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cell — a phone
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bear — the animal
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. kick — in football
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cell — in biology
  21. board — a committee
  22. bear — the animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. kick — with a leg

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