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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 116 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: cell · cabinet · mark · rush · shower · trunk · patient · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rush — hurry
  10. shower — rain
  11. field — a subject
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. field — farmland
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cell — a phone
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cell — in biology
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. patient — a sick person

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