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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. roll — a cake
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cold — not warm
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — music
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rock — a stone
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cold — an illness

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