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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. saw — the tool
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cue — a signal
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cold — an illness
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pass — a permit
  14. can — a tin
  15. cue — a hint
  16. can — a tin
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  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