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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 · rash · date · bark · court · rush · wound · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — of a king
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — hasty
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. date — the fruit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — of law
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. court — for sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rash — a series

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