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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · patient · pitcher · cue · file · staff · rash · tube

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a line of people
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — a series
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. tube — the underground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a document
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cue — for pool
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — to shout
  23. tube — a container
  24. staff — a stick

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