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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · race · bark · content · pound · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. race — the arms race
  5. content — happy
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. race — a contest
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pound — a weight
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. race — humankind
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. content — the amount

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