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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: trunk · rash · calf · fan · patient · mine · temple · spell

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — a short time
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rash — hasty
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — magic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rash — a series
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spell — letters
  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