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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: rest · staff · patient · field · trunk · net · mug · swing

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — after costs
  4. rest — what's left
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. staff — a stick
  11. swing — to play on
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — for sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — a face
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — in sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. field — farmland

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