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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
468
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: saw · spring · patient · mine · cell · band · trunk · plane

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. saw — the tool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. band — a music group
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. band — a ring
  18. spring — the season
  19. plane — a tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. band — a rubber band

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