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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: drill · date · field · patient · branch · mug · cabinet · trunk

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mug — a face
  6. field — farmland
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. drill — army training
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. mug — to rob
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. branch — a division

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