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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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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: land · pass · bark · patient · race · pound · key · perch

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. key — the most important part
  7. land — to come down
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. key — for a lock
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bark — to shout
  13. race — a contest
  14. perch — the fish
  15. race — humankind
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pass — a permit
  24. patient — a sick person

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