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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. land — ground
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kid — child
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kid — to tease

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