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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 116 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: chair · bark · rock · cap · bass · bowl · bat · patient

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rock — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bass — low music
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bark — to shout

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