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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · can · trunk · season · bark · file · patient · arm

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. season — of the year
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. can — to be able to
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. file — a tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — in sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. trunk — of a tree

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