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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: field · bound · content · patient · wax · bark · nail · pit

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bound — tied together
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. field — for sport
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — certain
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. field — farmland
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — to shout
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pit — in a race
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. field — a subject
  23. content — happy
  24. nail — for a hammer

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