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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · roll · branch · wound · current · stand · bark · kid

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stand — to bear
  5. kid — child
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. current — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — to tease
  15. branch — a division
  16. wound — an injury
  17. current — happening now
  18. roll — a list
  19. bark — to shout
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. roll — a cake
  23. current — electric
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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