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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: coach · patient · bark · wound · kick · face · last · object

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. last — to go on
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. last — final
  7. object — a thing
  8. kick — in football
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. object — an aim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — to confront
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. face — to point toward
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — to shout
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. last — finally
  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