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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cue — for pool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — a short time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. capital — money
  16. spell — letters
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — magic
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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