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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.

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: season · foot · patient · pit · trunk · staff · chest · bear

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. foot — a measure
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. staff — employees
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. season — of the year
  11. staff — employees
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bear — the animal
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. season — in sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. chest — a box
  21. pit — in a race
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — the bottom

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