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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — to paddle
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — in sport
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. net — for catching
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wake — a trail
  24. net — after costs

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