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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: stick · ground · roll · kid · patient · trunk · wake · season

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kid — child
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wake — a trail
  8. roll — a list
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kid — to tease
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. roll — a cake
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. season — of the year
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. season — in sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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