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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: cap · bass · bark · row · cell · rush · stick · patient

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. row — a line
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bass — low music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cap — a lid
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cap — of ice
  19. row — to paddle
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rush — hurry
  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