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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 120 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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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: rest · patient · lash · stem · bat · mate · bowl · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rest — a break
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rest — what's left

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