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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: race · press · patient · rash · sharp · bark · mark · bound

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. press — a publisher
  7. race — humankind
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. press — newspapers
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. press — to push
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rash — a series
  20. race — a contest
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — a grade
  23. race — the arms race
  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