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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: toast · rush · patient · lean · field · bear · trunk · net

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. toast — bread
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. field — for sport
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. field — farmland
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. net — after costs
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. field — a subject

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