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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bark — to shout
  3. net — after costs
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. tube — a container
  11. net — for catching
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. net — in sport
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pound — a weight
  22. deal — to handle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — to hit hard

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