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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: bark · stand · can · mark · wind · patient · cold · suit

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. cold — an illness
  9. can — a tin
  10. stand — to bear
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. can — to be able to
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mark — a grade
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. can — a tin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — to shout

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