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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. march — music
  8. craft — a skill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. craft — boats
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — moving air

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