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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: clip · patient · present · cap · band · craft · fork · bark

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cap — of ice
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — a skill
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. clip — to cut
  12. present — a gift
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — a video
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. clip — for paper
  17. craft — boats
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — there
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a rubber band

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