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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mug — a face
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bear — the animal
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. file — a tool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — of water
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. file — a document
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. bear — to put up with

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