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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · rush · cue · sharp · ball · field · tube · trunk

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. sharp — clever
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ball — a great time
  7. field — a subject
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cue — for pool
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — farmland
  17. cue — a signal
  18. field — for sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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