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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: patient · jam · track · roll · trunk · mate · hide · bark

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — a partner
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. track — a path
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bark — to shout
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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