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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 120 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: bound · lash · bark · patient · net · pitch · wind · march

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. march — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bound — certain
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. net — after costs
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — completely
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — moving air

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