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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: hand · bowl · patient · pass · trunk · stick · bear · straw

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pass — a permit
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. hand — help
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bear — the animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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