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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · content · fine · stand · cap · patient · lie · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spring — the season
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. content — the amount
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — of water
  9. content — happy
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stand — to bear

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