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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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468
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: bark · season · patient · straw · wake · foot · snap · ground

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. season — of the year
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. snap — to click
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bark — to shout
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ground — the earth
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. straw — a straw man

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