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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: fork · lie · spring · straw · foot · trunk · patient · race

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spring — the season
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. race — the arms race
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spring — of water
  19. race — a contest
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fork — in a road
  22. race — humankind
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. lie — an untruth

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