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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mine — for digging
  6. club — a group
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bank — for money
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bank — for money
  13. club — for dancing
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. club — for golf
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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