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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 116 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: wound · can · wake · spring · bore · craft · patient · trunk

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. spring — of water
  3. wake — a trail
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. can — a tin
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bore — to tire
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. can — a tin
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. spring — a coil
  20. can — to be able to
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. craft — boats
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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