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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: root · temple · bay · game · row · lie · season · trunk

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. season — in sport
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. game — wild animals
  21. season — of the year
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. root — of a plant
  24. row — a line

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