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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: wound · season · coach · fine · calf · bark · date · patient

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — of the year
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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