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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: pound · arm · trunk · cap · bulb · net · rash · patient

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cap — a lid
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pound — a weight
  9. net — for catching
  10. cap — of ice
  11. net — in sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — a series
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. net — after costs
  18. cap — a hat
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bulb — for light
  24. patient — a sick person

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