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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. march — music
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — a series
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bear — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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