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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: game · patient · racket · saw · chest · date · bank · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — wild animals
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — a match
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bank — for money
  11. chest — of your body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chest — of your body
  14. date — the fruit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — for money
  18. chest — a box
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bank — of a river
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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