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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chip — for betting
  3. key — for a lock
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chip — to eat
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — to shout
  21. key — the most important part
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — an injury
  24. jam — a tight spot

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