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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: patient · tube · pound · season · trunk · branch · plane · key

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. tube — the underground
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — of the year
  12. branch — a division
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pound — a weight
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. tube — a container
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. key — for a lock
  23. plane — a tool
  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