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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · trunk · pitch · pop · present · rash · patient · mine

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. present — the time now
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pop — music
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. present — a gift
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — there
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rash — a series
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rash — on the skin

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