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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 · pass · lean · patient · game · fan · ruler · pitcher

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pass — a permit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — wild animals
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lean — thin
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. bark — to shout
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ruler — for measuring

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