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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kid — to tease
  6. season — in sport
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. root — of a plant
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. season — of the year
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. root — the cause
  15. wax — to grow
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kid — child
  20. root — of a word
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pass — a permit
  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