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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 120 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: patient · lash · chest · wave · pop · bore · trunk · game

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bore — to tire
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pop — soda
  12. chest — a box
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pop — music
  24. wave — of the sea

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