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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 120 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: tear · track · chair · bark · patient · fan · bowl · craft

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. track — a song
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bark — to shout
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. track — a path
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tear — to rip
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. craft — boats
  22. track — to keep track
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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