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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — the fish
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. land — a country
  15. bass — low music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. land — to come down
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. prune — the fruit

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