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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: chest · foot · trunk · roll · rush · face · fan · patient

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chest — a box
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chest — of your body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. roll — a list
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. foot — a measure
  21. face — to confront
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. roll — a cake
  24. fan — to cool the air

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