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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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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: present · racket · trunk · fan · season · patient · rash · stock

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. present — there
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — of the year
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. season — in sport
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rash — a series
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — goods
  23. rash — hasty
  24. patient — a sick person

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