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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 120 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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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: lash · bark · mate · stand · patient · vault · pitcher · wind

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — to bear
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. vault — a safe
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mate — to breed

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