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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: sharp · rest · arm · tear · bank · patient · trunk · bound

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bound — certain
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rest — a break
  20. bound — tied together
  21. sharp — clever
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — obliged
  24. arm — a part of something

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