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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.

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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: trunk · calf · leaves · tear · key · patient · wake · pitch

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tear — from crying
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. key — in music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitch — completely
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. tear — to rip

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