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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chest — a box
  15. rock — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rock — a stone
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lean — thin

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