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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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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. land — a country
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. land — to come down
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mark — a trace
  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