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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: bark · press · race · row · nail · fall · patient · fork

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. row — a line
  4. press — a publisher
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bark — to shout
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — to paddle
  9. press — to push
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. race — humankind
  12. press — newspapers
  13. race — a contest
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fall — the season
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. nail — on a finger
  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