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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: bore · straw · rash · chair · bay · patient · bark · rock

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rock — music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rash — a series
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bore — to drill
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bark — to shout

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