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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. club — for golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — to trim
  8. club — for dancing
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cell — in biology
  11. content — the amount
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — happy
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fork — in a road
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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