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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: mark · patient · hand · kid · fan · face · board · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mark — a trace
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. kid — child
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — to shout
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. face — to confront

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