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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: lie · tear · nail · ground · fork · patient · bass · bark

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bark — to shout
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — the earth
  13. tear — from crying
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. lie — to recline
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tear — to rip

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