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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: swing · patient · trunk · bore · stand · board · racket · season

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bore — to tire
  10. season — in sport
  11. board — to get on
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. season — of the year
  14. bore — to drill
  15. board — a committee
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stand — to bear
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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