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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. toast — bread
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bark — to shout
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. row — a line
  14. rock — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. object — an aim
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. object — to protest
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  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