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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 · mug · swing · bark · key · date · hand · file

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mug — a cup
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a tool
  8. hand — help
  9. file — a document
  10. key — in music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a face
  16. swing — music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. date — the fruit
  19. hand — in cards
  20. file — a line of people
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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