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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: patient · hand · saw · cap · object · bark · rash · face

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. object — a thing
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bark — to shout
  9. object — an aim
  10. cap — a hat
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hand — help
  14. cap — of ice
  15. face — to confront
  16. rash — hasty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cap — a lid
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — the tool
  24. object — to protest

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