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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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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: tear · trunk · firm · pitcher · patient · fork · present · rule

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. firm — steady
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. firm — decided
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — in a road
  14. firm — a company
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — a law
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — the time now

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