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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. firm — steady
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bark — to shout
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. firm — decided
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. firm — a company
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. calf — of the leg

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