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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: rash · season · date · scale · ground · patient · lie · bark

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. ground — crushed
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bark — to shout
  5. season — in sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. ground — a position
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. season — of the year
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. date — the fruit
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lie — an untruth

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