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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: arm · patient · bay · trunk · hand · root · spell · row

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. row — to paddle
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. root — of a word
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. row — a line
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. root — the cause
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spell — letters
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spell — magic
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. trunk — of a car

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