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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. ground — the earth
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. deal — to handle
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. vault — a safe
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rash — a series
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mark — a trace
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ground — a position
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mark — a grade

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