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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.

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: object · march · lash · fan · cold · trunk · safe · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. object — to protest
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. object — a thing
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. object — an aim
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. march — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fan — a supporter

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