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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 · pitcher · patient · bark · bulb · plane · march · date

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. march — music

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