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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · patient · land · trunk · straw · chest · stand

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. chest — of your body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — ground
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — a box
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — to come down
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. land — a country
  24. wound — an injury

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