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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: bark · hide · cue · roll · present · temple · fork · patient

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. roll — a list
  7. present — a gift
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cue — a hint
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. present — there
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. present — the time now
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fork — in a road
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bark — to shout
  24. patient — a sick person

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