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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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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: kid · file · patient · fall · last · present · trunk · suit

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. last — finally
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. last — final
  6. suit — to fit
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. present — a gift
  9. suit — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. present — there
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kid — to tease
  21. present — the time now
  22. fall — the season
  23. last — to go on
  24. trunk — of a tree

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