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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rush — hurry
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. last — to go on
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. firm — a company
  9. prune — to trim
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. firm — decided
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. firm — steady
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cold — not warm

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