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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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