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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. present — a gift
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — for a lock
  9. shower — rain
  10. present — there
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — a practice
  17. shower — to wash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. drill — army training
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. present — the time now
  22. drill — the tool
  23. key — the most important part
  24. patient — a sick person

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