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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 116 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. charge — in control
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stem — to come from
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. charge — electricity
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. charge — a price
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. swing — music
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. court — of law
  23. swing — to play on
  24. patient — a sick person

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