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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. row — to paddle
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. row — a line
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. roll — a list
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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