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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pop — soda
  7. present — the time now
  8. hand — in cards
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. present — there
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hand — help
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. present — a gift

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