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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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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: spring · trunk · track · hand · patient · perch · hide · rock

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — a song
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a path
  11. hand — in cards
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. track — to keep track
  14. spring — of water
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rock — music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rock — a stone
  20. spring — the season
  21. hand — help
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. perch — for a bird

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