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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
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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 · rash · trunk · ball · root · land · calf · date

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ball — a dance
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. land — ground
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. root — of a word
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. land — to come down
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rash — hasty
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. root — the cause

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