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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.

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: swing · trunk · bat · band · cabinet · patient · leaves · chest

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. chest — a box
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a ring
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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