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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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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 · bowl · patient · mate · ground · swing · firm · wind

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. firm — steady
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — decided
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. firm — a company
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ground — crushed
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. swing — music
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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