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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — the underground
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rest — a break
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bark — to shout
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tube — a container
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rest — what's left

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