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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: bay · nail · patient · spring · chip · file · trunk · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chip — for betting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spring — a coil
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. file — a tool
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. season — of the year
  24. trunk — of a tree

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