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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 116 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: pitcher · saw · rule · lash · patient · pass · bark · straw

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rule — government
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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