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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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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: lie · toast · patient · track · cap · fork · nail · trunk

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. fork — in a road
  3. lie — to recline
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. track — a path
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. toast — bread
  18. track — a song
  19. cap — of ice
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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