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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 · wake · mug · mark · bark · pound · land · game

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. game — a match
  3. mug — a face
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. land — a country
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. land — ground
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pound — a weight
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mug — a cup
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mug — to rob

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