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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: lean · spell · pitch · bark · rock · patient · temple · cold

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cold — an illness
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rock — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lean — to bend
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rock — a stone

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