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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — of law
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. court — for sport

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