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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kid — child
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fine — all right
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. court — of law

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