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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 · leaves · nail · spring · present · saw · land · patient

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. spring — a coil
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. present — a gift
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. present — the time now
  8. land — a country
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. present — there
  11. spring — the season
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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