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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: wave · patient · ball · roll · trunk · cell · date · clip

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cell — a phone
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cell — in biology
  8. clip — for paper
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. roll — a cake
  12. clip — a video
  13. ball — a great time
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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