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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: fall · firm · lash · trunk · bark · cold · patient · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fall — the season
  5. cold — an illness
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. firm — steady
  21. fall — to drop
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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