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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: pound · perch · lash · patient · face · trunk · court · calf

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. perch — the fish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — to point toward
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pound — a weight
  20. court — of a king
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. perch — for a bird

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