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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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Word bank
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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: patient · land · file · can · firm · mug · ground · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. can — a tin
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. ground — the earth
  11. firm — a company
  12. mug — a cup
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ground — a position
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a document
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — a country
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. can — to be able to

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