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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. drill — a practice
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — in sport
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. band — a ring
  11. cue — for pool
  12. net — after costs
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cue — a hint
  15. net — for catching
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a music group
  20. drill — army training
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rest — a break
  23. drill — the tool
  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