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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · bark · firm · season · kid · patient · pitcher · temple

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. firm — decided
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bark — to shout
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. season — of the year
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — child
  13. firm — a company
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. firm — steady
  17. march — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — the month

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