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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. fall — to drop
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — certain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. chip — for betting
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bound — tied together
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fall — the season
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wound — an injury
  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