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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.

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: patient · field · present · lie · game · firm · racket · bark

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bark — to shout
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — a subject
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. present — a gift
  8. game — a match
  9. firm — steady
  10. field — farmland
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. present — the time now
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. firm — a company
  16. present — there
  17. field — for sport
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. firm — decided
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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