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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. race — the arms race
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — child
  8. press — to push
  9. mug — to rob
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kid — to tease
  13. race — humankind
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mug — a face
  20. race — a contest
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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