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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · patient · hide · trunk · cold · spell

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. foot — a measure
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cold — an illness
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cold — not warm
  18. hide — to keep secret

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