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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: patient · march · bark · pop · cabinet · lash · spring · firm

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — of water
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. firm — decided
  9. spring — a coil
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — music
  12. firm — a company
  13. spring — the season
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. firm — steady
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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