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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 · game · bark · lie · stand · roll · firm · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bark — to shout
  4. stand — to bear
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. firm — decided
  7. roll — a cake
  8. firm — a company
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lie — to recline
  11. game — a match
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. roll — a list
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. firm — steady
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. game — wild animals
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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