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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: content · ball · track · patient · mouse · trunk · calf · bark

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. track — a path
  12. ball — a great time
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. content — happy
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. content — the amount
  18. ball — a dance
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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