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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: mark · land · patient · staff · spring · cabinet · trunk · mouse

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. spring — of water
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spring — the season
  6. mark — a grade
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — a coil
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. trunk — of a car

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