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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 120 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: fall · bark · patient · perch · game · stick · lash · lie

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a match
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — wild animals
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. perch — for a bird

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