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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — finally
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lie — to recline
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — to go on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wind — moving air
  22. date — the fruit
  23. last — final
  24. trunk — of a tree

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