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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: bowl · rash · trunk · pitcher · mark · mine · patient · safe

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — a trace
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rash — hasty
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rash — a series
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pitcher — a jug

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