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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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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: lash · bark · stick · foot · patient · mug · field · cell

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mug — a face
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. field — for sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. field — a subject
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bark — to shout
  24. field — farmland

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