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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — a friend
  5. capital — a city
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mate — to breed
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — money
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. row — a quarrel

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