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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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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: race · trunk · rest · cell · fine · patient · wound · lie

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. race — humankind
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — high quality
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. race — a contest
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — a phone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — a break
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fine — all right

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