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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spell — letters
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lean — to bend
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lean — thin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spell — magic
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mine — belonging to me

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