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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: trunk · mark · court · safe · press · patient · dip · track

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — for sport
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. track — a path
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. press — a publisher
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mark — a trace
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. dip — to sink
  19. press — newspapers
  20. track — a song
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. press — to push
  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