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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. rest — a break
  5. band — a ring
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. land — to come down
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. land — a country
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — a partner
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rest — what's left
  19. net — after costs
  20. band — a music group
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. land — ground

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