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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: snap · bound · patient · mark · bark · racket · pit · bat

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bound — certain
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mark — a grade
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bound — tied together
  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