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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. last — finally
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bound — certain
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. last — to go on
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mate — a partner
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bound — tied together
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — final
  21. bound — obliged
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. 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