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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fine — all right
  3. pit — a hole
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — in a race
  9. band — a ring
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. object — to protest
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fine — high quality
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. racket — for tennis

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