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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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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: cell · perch · content · bark · drill · patient · stand · roll

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. roll — a list
  5. cell — a phone
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — happy
  13. roll — a cake
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cell — in biology
  18. content — the amount
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stand — for spectators
  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