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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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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: bound · pass · prune · patient · trunk · chest · court · staff

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. prune — to trim
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. staff — employees
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bound — certain
  13. chest — a box
  14. staff — employees
  15. pass — a permit
  16. staff — a stick
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chest — of your body
  20. court — of law
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. court — for sport

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