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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fork — in a road
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — to eat with

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