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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 116 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: fan · trunk · patient · tear · last · mouse · club · row

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. last — to go on
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — for golf
  11. last — final
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — a line
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. club — a group
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. last — finally

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