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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: bark · squash · content · ground · patient · stick · club · lie

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. club — for golf
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. club — a group
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. ground — a position
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. content — happy
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bark — to shout
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — the sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. content — the amount

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