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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. face — to confront
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. track — a path
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. track — to keep track
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — a song
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the body

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