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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mark — a grade
  18. prune — to trim

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