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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
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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: spring · roll · race · snap · trunk · squash · patient · bound

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. snap — to click
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. squash — the sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bound — certain
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spring — a coil
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bound — tied together
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. race — a contest
  22. bound — obliged
  23. race — humankind
  24. squash — the vegetable

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