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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. hand — help
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stand — to bear
  12. fork — in a road
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. prune — to trim

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