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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 116 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: tube · cap · wax · field · trunk · march · patient · bulb

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. march — the month
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. field — a subject
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — the underground
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cap — a hat
  14. march — music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tube — a container
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cap — of ice
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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