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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · chip · prune · patient · trunk · wound · drill · bark

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. prune — to trim
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. drill — a practice
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. content — happy
  22. drill — army training
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. content — the amount

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