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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. prune — to trim
  3. land — to come down
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mug — a cup
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mug — a face
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mug — to rob
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. land — ground
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — an eyelash

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