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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: band · bark · patient · saw · hide · chest · swing · wave

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. swing — music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. swing — to play on
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a ring
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chest — a box
  24. band — a music group

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