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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mate — to breed
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mate — a partner
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — to visit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tube — a container
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pop — soda
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — music
  24. straw — a straw man

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