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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bound — obliged
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. file — a line of people
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — to grow
  16. field — a subject
  17. present — a gift
  18. bound — certain
  19. present — the time now
  20. field — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. file — a tool
  23. present — there
  24. field — farmland

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