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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: date · wound · board · swing · bark · patient · bass · temple

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. swing — to play on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — the fruit
  5. swing — music
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. board — a committee
  8. wound — an injury
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. board — to get on
  11. bark — to shout
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bass — low music
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — in golf
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bass — the fish
  24. date — on the calendar

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