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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. stand — to bear
  9. game — a match
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lean — thin
  17. mark — a trace
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. net — after costs

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