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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. land — to come down
  3. mark — a trace
  4. prune — to trim
  5. staff — employees
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — a stick
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. staff — employees
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — a country
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. patient — a sick person

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