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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. staff — a stick
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tube — the underground
  7. content — the amount
  8. bank — for money
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. land — to come down
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. tube — a container
  21. bank — for money
  22. land — a country
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — in a tire

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