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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 · bark · firm · tear · pitcher · wake · kick · club

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. kick — in football
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wake — a trail
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. firm — steady
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — decided
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. firm — a company
  18. club — for golf
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bark — to shout

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