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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rule — a law
  5. root — of a word
  6. track — a path
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rule — government
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — ground
  11. field — for sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. field — a subject
  14. mate — a friend
  15. root — the cause
  16. track — a song
  17. field — farmland
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. land — to come down
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — a country
  24. track — to keep track

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