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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: patient · cabinet · hand · jam · bay · bark · spell · pitcher

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. spell — letters
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spell — magic
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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