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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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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: ball · root · trunk · bowl · date · saw · patient · mug

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mug — to rob
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mug — a face
  7. ball — a great time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. root — of a word
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — the cause
  15. date — the fruit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ball — a dance
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. date — on the calendar

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