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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. net — in sport
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. content — happy
  9. net — after costs
  10. fall — the season
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — the amount
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cap — of ice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. season — in sport
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — of the year
  20. prune — to trim
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — for catching

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