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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. prune — to trim
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — employees
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. file — a document
  8. row — a line
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mine — for digging
  15. row — to paddle
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. lean — to bend
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lean — thin
  20. staff — employees
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. file — a tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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