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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — help
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mark — a grade
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — a trail
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bass — the fish
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — low music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. prune — the fruit

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