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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. drill — army training
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. branch — a division
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tube — a container
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. drill — the tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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