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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: patient · hide · bat · drill · board · season · root · trunk

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. drill — army training
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. season — in sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. root — the cause
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. board — to get on

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