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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — to drop
  3. object — an aim
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mate — a friend
  6. object — a thing
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. object — to protest
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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