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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: cue · race · arm · spell · face · patient · saw · trunk

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. race — humankind
  8. face — to confront
  9. race — the arms race
  10. face — to point toward
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. race — a contest
  14. spell — a short time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cue — a hint
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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