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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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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: trunk · patient · face · wax · present · court · race · fork

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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. present — there
  4. face — to point toward
  5. race — a contest
  6. present — a gift
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. court — of law
  12. present — the time now
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — to confront
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wax — to grow
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. face — part of the head

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