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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: swing · foot · trunk · tear · bear · patient · spring · wake

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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 — a sick person
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. swing — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bear — the animal
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spring — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tear — to rip
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wake — a trail
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spring — of water
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spring — a coil
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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