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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: trunk · board · land · kid · ruler · straw · mug · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mug — to rob
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mug — a face
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. land — to come down
  16. board — to get on
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kid — child
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. mug — a cup
  24. board — a committee

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