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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. can — a tin
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cue — a hint
  20. can — to be able to
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bark — of a tree

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