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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 120 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: band · club · capital · trunk · bulb · patient · nail · bat

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. band — a music group
  6. club — a group
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bat — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. band — a ring
  21. capital — money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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