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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: patient · bark · bank · fine · wound · land · firm · ball

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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. firm — decided
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. firm — steady
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. fine — high quality
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. firm — a company
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. land — a country
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fine — all right
  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