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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bass — low music
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. land — to come down
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hand — help
  7. lean — to bend
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mug — a face
  10. hand — in cards
  11. land — a country
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lean — thin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — to rest against

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