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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — to confront
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. face — part of the head
  10. craft — a skill
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. face — to point toward
  14. root — the cause
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. craft — boats
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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