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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — for digging
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cue — a signal
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — from a university
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chest — a box
  10. can — a tin
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. can — to be able to
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. degree — temperature
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chest — of your body

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