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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — to breed
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — a coil
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mug — a face
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mate — a partner
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mug — to rob
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wound — an injury

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