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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bark — to shout
  14. hand — in cards
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hand — help
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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