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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — child
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bound — certain
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — to tease
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bound — tied together
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. trunk — of a car

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