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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. present — the time now
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wound — an injury
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. present — a gift
  22. net — for catching
  23. kid — child
  24. nail — for a hammer

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