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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: pit · trunk · last · charge · can · rush · patient · chest

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. can — a tin
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — a price
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. pit — a hole
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rush — hurry
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. can — to be able to
  19. charge — in control
  20. chest — of your body
  21. charge — electricity
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chest — a box

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