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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hand — in cards
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hand — help
  8. chest — a box
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — to go on
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rush — hurry
  20. last — final
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. last — finally
  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