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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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 an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bound — certain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mine — for digging
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mine — an explosive
  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