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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — a gift
  8. court — of a king
  9. present — the time now
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. court — of law
  16. present — there
  17. rock — a stone
  18. court — for sport
  19. rock — music
  20. roll — a list
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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