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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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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 · wake · racket · trunk · jam · kick · march · race

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. march — music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. kick — in football
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. race — humankind
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — a trail
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. race — a contest
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. march — the month

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