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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rest — what's left
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hand — help
  18. suit — to fit
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hand — in cards
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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