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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 120 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chest — a box
  4. land — a country
  5. can — to be able to
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — to keep track
  8. can — a tin
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — in golf
  14. track — a path
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. can — a tin
  19. track — a song
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. stand — for spectators

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