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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. season — of the year
  3. file — a tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mark — a trace
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tube — a container
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. file — a line of people
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. swing — music
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a document
  24. season — in sport

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