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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: can · club · bark · rush · drill · patient · dip · pitcher

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. club — for golf
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. dip — to sink
  12. club — a group
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — army training
  19. rush — hurry
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — a tin
  22. club — for dancing
  23. drill — a practice
  24. patient — a sick person

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