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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 120 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 dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. band — a ring
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — a series
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cue — for pool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cue — a hint
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fork — in a road
  19. band — a music group
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mug — a face

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