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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: fine · chest · spell · bowl · patient · hand · trunk · nail

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spell — letters
  7. fine — all right
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fine — high quality
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spell — a short time
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. spell — magic

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