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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.

Words on the sheet
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: clip · pass · patient · trunk · bark · content · roll · wake

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. clip — for paper
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. roll — a list
  5. content — happy
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — a video
  23. pass — a permit
  24. content — videos and posts

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