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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: hand · bark · patient · object · net · rash · perch · calf

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. hand — in cards
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. object — a thing
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. net — in sport
  12. object — to protest
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — help
  16. rash — a series
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — for a bird

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