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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: stick · bark · bulb · patient · rash · saw · straw · spring

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — the season
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spring — of water
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — a coil
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rash — a series
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rash — on the skin

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