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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. present — there
  9. ground — crushed
  10. capital — money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cell — a phone
  13. capital — a city
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. present — the time now
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — a position
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — to confront
  22. present — a gift
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. capital — a big letter

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