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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 120 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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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 · deal · cold · rest · patient · lie · key · can

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rest — what's left
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. can — a tin
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rest — a break
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. can — a tin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. key — in music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. key — for a lock

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