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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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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: face · bark · branch · rock · fork · patient · hand · snap

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. face — to point toward
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. fork — in a road
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rock — music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. branch — a division
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. hand — in cards
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. face — to confront
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — help

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