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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wound · wake · roll · trunk · wind · patient · track · cabinet

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. roll — a list
  10. track — a path
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wake — a trail
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. track — a song
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — an injury

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