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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. season — in sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — to shout
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cell — in biology
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cell — a phone
  19. land — ground
  20. season — of the year
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fork — in a road

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