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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 · face · trunk · can · march · degree · coach · bank

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. face — to point toward
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. face — to confront
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. march — the month
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. march — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. face — part of the head
  23. can — a tin
  24. bank — for money

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