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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 120 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 · mine · wave · content · snap · tube · bark · firm

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bark — to shout
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. tube — a container
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. firm — steady
  16. snap — to click
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. tube — the underground
  19. content — the amount
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. content — happy
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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