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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — obliged
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spring — of water
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. spring — the season
  12. kid — to tease
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. track — a path
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kid — child
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bound — certain
  19. prune — to trim
  20. track — to keep track
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — a song
  24. pitcher — a jug

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