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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. drill — army training
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. deal — to handle
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. date — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pound — a weight
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bark — to shout

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