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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: patient · rash · pit · bat · bore · key · bark · rush

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rash — a series
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bore — to tire
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — in music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bark — to shout

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