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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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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: patient · bat · stand · bark · spell · stick · pound · march

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — the month
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spell — letters
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. march — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spell — magic
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bat — the animal

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