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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: sharp · bark · key · hand · patient · present · staff · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. last — to go on
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. last — finally
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. present — there
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. sharp — clever
  17. hand — help
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. present — a gift
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bark — to shout
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hand — in cards
  24. present — the time now

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