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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
468
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: net · stick · row · drill · patient · bark · bat · craft

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — after costs
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. drill — army training
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. net — in sport
  16. drill — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. net — for catching
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — a quarrel

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