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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 120 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: wake · wind · lean · patient · pound · bark · tube · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. row — a line
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tube — a container
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — a sick person

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