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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · pop · foot · bark · lie · patient · rock · content

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pop — soda
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bark — to shout
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rock — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. lie — to recline
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. content — happy
  22. pop — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. 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