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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: stem · row · roll · track · lie · bark · patient · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. roll — a cake
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. squash — the sport
  8. track — to keep track
  9. roll — a list
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. row — a line
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. squash — to crush
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. row — to paddle

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