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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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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: kick · bark · degree · wind · root · patient · lean · rock

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lean — to bend
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. root — the cause
  6. degree — an amount
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bark — to shout
  9. root — of a word
  10. kick — in football
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. degree — temperature
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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