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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · patient · lash · leaves · chair · trunk · season · prune

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. game — wild animals
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — in sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. season — of the year
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. leaves — to go away

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