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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: dip · patient · fork · lie · game · fan · track · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fork — in a road
  5. track — a path
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lie — to recline
  19. dip — to sink
  20. track — to keep track
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — a song

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