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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 116 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: ball · wound · can · patient · bark · mouse · face · pop

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pop — music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. face — to point toward
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ball — a great time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — to shout
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. can — a tin

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