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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rest — a break
  7. craft — boats
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. suit — in cards
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. file — a tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. file — a document
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bank — for money
  20. suit — clothes
  21. file — a line of people
  22. suit — to fit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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