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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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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mine — for digging
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. saw — the tool

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