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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: bark · racket · trunk · face · fan · degree · patient · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. degree — temperature
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bark — to shout
  11. degree — from a university
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pit — in a race
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. face — to point toward
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. face — to confront
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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