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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tear — from crying
  4. land — ground
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — a subject
  8. tear — to rip
  9. land — to come down
  10. charge — in control
  11. field — farmland
  12. court — of law
  13. field — for sport
  14. charge — electricity
  15. land — a country
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — from crying
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. court — of a king
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. charge — a price
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. court — for sport

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