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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: patient · trunk · present · net · squash · ball · game · bark

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ball — a great time
  3. present — there
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. present — the time now
  7. net — in sport
  8. present — a gift
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. net — after costs
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. game — a match
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — to shout
  18. game — wild animals
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ball — a dance

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