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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. key — in music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cell — a phone
  8. face — to confront
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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