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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: board · track · dip · trunk · patient · cold · shower · foot

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cold — not warm
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. track — to keep track
  7. board — a committee
  8. track — a path
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. board — to get on
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — a song
  19. shower — to wash
  20. dip — to sink
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cold — an illness

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