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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 116 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: row · mouse · trunk · lie · bark · season · root · patient

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. root — of a word
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. season — in sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. root — the cause
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — of the year
  22. lie — to recline
  23. season — to add flavour
  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