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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — to move gently

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