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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. last — finally
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. last — final
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. board — a committee
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bore — to drill
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bore — to tire
  21. last — to go on
  22. ground — crushed
  23. board — to get on
  24. prune — to trim

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