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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hand — help
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bark — to shout
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. hand — in cards

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