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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: row · sharp · temple · patient · hand · bark · rule · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. row — to paddle
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rule — government
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bark — to shout
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rule — a law
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — a line
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. sharp — clever

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