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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: lean · trunk · patient · bay · scale · wake · spring · nail

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spring — of water
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — in music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lean — thin
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. spring — the season
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wake — a trail

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