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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. drill — the tool
  3. object — a thing
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. object — to protest
  6. drill — army training
  7. file — a document
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bulb — for light
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. face — part of the head
  16. object — an aim
  17. face — to confront
  18. pass — a permit
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — to shout
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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