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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: bark · patient · file · wound · squash · race · cabinet · suit

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — to shout
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. suit — in cards
  11. squash — the sport
  12. suit — to fit
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a tool
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. race — humankind
  21. suit — clothes
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a document
  24. race — a contest

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