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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. sharp — clever
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — for sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. staff — employees
  12. toast — bread
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. foot — a measure
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. patient — a sick person

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