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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: patient · bore · sharp · trunk · leaves · track · rush · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rush — hurry
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. track — a path
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. sharp — clever

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