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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — a series
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kick — in football
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. vault — a safe
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. kick — a thrill

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