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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: patient · trunk · cell · cabinet · face · swing · can · mate

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — to confront
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. swing — music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. swing — in golf
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cell — in biology
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mate — a partner
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cabinet — ministers

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